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Mingolf the Soulcrusher
Mingolf the Soulcrusher is a male human cleric of Galmar and an NPC in the Emeron campaign. Background Little is known about Mingolf the Soulcrusher and his past. He is a powerful cleric of Galmar and claims to be the High Priest of the religion and Galmar's Chosen. He has backed up this assertion by the possession of an incredibly powerful gem embedded in his chest that seems to grant him incredible powers. Mingolf acquired a number of followers and used them and undead he created to serve his whims. In 1148 he and his minions were able to to ambush Elizabeth and Edwin Montfort, slaying both of them. He took Edwin's spirit into the gem, forcing him to observe as he performed the profane rituals to raise Elizabeth as a death knight in his service. Mingolf moved to take over the Rockwater Tribe, the largest and most powerful Galmarian tribe north of the Tribarc River. By 1155 he had full control over the tribe and most of the surrounding lands and began preparing for an invasion into the Barony of Lurinlund. Campaign against Lurinlund In Lion of 1159 Mingolf led a massive army of undead and barbarians of the Rockwater Tribe towards the border of Lurinlund. The dwarves of Fort Hammercrush saw the force marching and alerted the humans of Lurinlund. First Battle of Undying Rage In response to the approaching army Baronial Marshal Sir Valin Taire hastily raised a host of 4,000 troops (a mix of soldiers and conscripts) and marched east to engage Mingolf's forces. The battle was complete victory for MIngolf. Soldrol the Heartbreaker led the Galmarian Horseman and flanked Sir Valin's force and break their lines. Nearly 1,600 Emeronians died, including Sir Valin. The army retreated to Hardale and the dead were raised to bolster Mingolf's ranks. Second Battle of Undying Rage Newly appointed Duke Geoffry Ravenut ordered Sir Winston Templeton, the marshal of Fulton, to march Fulton's forces to Hardale to rally the remnants of Sir Valin's army and march east again. The orders stipulated specifically that the enemy army was not to cross the Emeronian border under any circumstances, which limited Sir Winston's tactical options. On the 24th of Lion Sir Winston’s host of 3817 (the 2417 survivors of Sir Valin’s army plus 1400 Fulton Conscripts) engaged Mingolf’s undead. Since Sir Winston was forced by his orders to fight on the open field, he attempted to maneuver to the foothills of the Dwarven Mountains with the intent to lure the enemy to him there and use the terrain to the best of his ability, however he found that the enemy had anticipated this and claimed the high ground, forcing Sir Winston to fight upon the open field and defend against the Galmarians on the hill. The battle was a victory for Mingolf, with Emeronian losses of nearly 2,200 men (who Mingolf later raised). During the fighting Sir Winston engaged Elizabeth Montfort, now called General Lizmont, personally to allow time for his men to retreat. When he found out who she actually was he faltered briefly out of shock, which proved his undoing as the death knight struck him down. The surviving 1624 men retreat to Hardale. The Battle of Hardale See also: The Battle of Hardale Emboldened by his two victories Mingolf marched his army, now numbering around 5,000 undead and Galmari warriors directly to Hardale. He sent out groups of Galmari Horseman and packs of Ghouls to harry the retreating forces along the way until they reached the town. Mingolf had a spy in Hardale in the form of Yunalin Slatebelt, whose mission was to weaken the town internally before his arrival to pave the way for an easier conquest. He anticipated that a demoralized army, and fractured and terrified citizens would not put up much of a fight. However, Mingolf did not expect the Joined of Vesper to take command of the army, unveil Yunalin and mitigate the damage she had done. Still, between his divine magic and spies, MIngolf knew it was Sir Winston's adopted niece, Edella Montfort, who had been placed in command of the defense of Hardale, and he gleefully considered how to dispirit her on the eve of battle. Before the battle he rode to Hardale for a parley where he delighted in parading the zombified corpse of Sir Valin, presenting Edella with the head of Sir Winston and the revelation that General Lizmont was actually her mother. Despite having no siege engines Mingolf was confident he could breach the walls and take Hardale. He ordered a hundred Galmarians to position north of the town to slaughter any innocents attempting to flee north into the Dwarven Mountains. The rest were sent to the west wall under the command of Soldrol the Heartbreaker, who possessed a magical maul that would allow him to physically batter down the gates. He led a force of 2,500 undead on the west wall, where he planned to use his divine magic to open a breach they could rush into. Last, but not least, he sent General Lizmont to the south gate where her 2,500 skeletons were to try to overwhelm the gate and defenses. Defeat The resistance of Hardale was far stronger than Mongolf had anticipated. Thanks to the Joined of Vesper a force of 300 dwarves had remained in the town and agreed to fight and this proved critical. Under Ambassador Throt Goldaxe they destroyed Mingolf's northern force and marched to join the Lurinlund Baronial Solders and Cavalry under Delilah Farmeski and Beybulat Tasho (respectively) on the west wall. Soldrol the Heartbreaker and his force were practically wiped out before they even reached the gates. Elsewhere the battle was faring better, as he was breach the walls and wipe out the Lurinlund Conscripts while General Lizmont broke through the southern defenses and enter the town. Still, these immediate successes were halted by General Montfort's Fulton conscripts and the Order of the Fadalithis and a force of last ditch recruits in the town under Baram Vallerad. These forces held long enough for Goldaxe, Farmeski, and Tasho to sweep east through the town and crush the remainder of the undead. Mingolf himself was engaged personally by the Joined of Vesper while their forces mopped up his undead. He fought bitterly, but he ultimately fell to their magic and might. Still, the gem kept him from dying no matter how much punishment his body took. The Joined hacked it out of his chest, being forced to fight off General Montfort personally while they did so. When she was struck down (by her own daughter no less) her spirit was dragged into the gem as well. Mingolf's gem was removed, but continued to try to regenerate Mingolf's body. The Joined of Vesper handed the gem over to Jaymes Chickwood with the hope that he would be able to use his magic to find a way to release the souls of Edwin and Elizabeth Montfort and destroy the gem. Powers and Abilities Mingolf is a powerful cleric of Galmar and able to access several powerful divine magics as a result. In addition he is a mighty physical combatant possessing great strength and fortitude. The gem embedded in his chest seriously enhances his necromantic magic as well as renders him unable to die physically. So long as the gem remains, it will attempt to regenerate his body even if there is nothing of the body left. Even when gem was removed from the body and purged of all flesh, it will grow new flesh to rebuild him. MIngolf was also quite perceptive, and was able to pick up on subtle clues of people that would give him insights to their personalities. He would use this to torment and manipulate people and delight in their suffering. His favorite activity was to torture an enemy (or occasionally someone who failed him spectacularly) emotionally, mentally and physically until they were completely broken in every way. He would then kill them and raise them as undead to serve him even beyond death. Category:Characters Category:Emeron Category:NPCs